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KJ to calories converter, kilojoules to kcal.
Type kilojoules and read the calories on a food label, which are kilocalories. To convert kJ to calories, divide by 4.184. The small calorie (cal) of chemistry is shown too, so you can pick the one you need.
1,000 kJ equals
239.00574 kcal
1 kilojoule = 0.2390057361 kcal (rounded)1 kilocalorie = 4.184 kJ exactly
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Common values, click one to use it
| Kilojoules | Kilocalories |
|---|---|
| 11.95029 kcal | |
| 23.90057 kcal | |
| 35.85086 kcal | |
| 47.80115 kcal | |
| 59.75143 kcal | |
| 71.70172 kcal | |
| 95.60229 kcal | |
| 119.50287 kcal | |
| 143.40344 kcal | |
| 191.20459 kcal | |
| 239.00574 kcal | |
| 286.80688 kcal | |
| 358.5086 kcal | |
| 478.01147 kcal | |
| 597.51434 kcal | |
| 717.01721 kcal | |
| 956.02294 kcal | |
| 1,195.02868 kcal | |
| 2,000 kcal | |
| 2,390.05736 kcal |
Kilojoules to kilocalories chart
- 50 kJ11.95029 kcal
- 100 kJ23.90057 kcal
- 150 kJ35.85086 kcal
- 200 kJ47.80115 kcal
- 250 kJ59.75143 kcal
- 300 kJ71.70172 kcal
- 400 kJ95.60229 kcal
- 500 kJ119.50287 kcal
- 600 kJ143.40344 kcal
- 800 kJ191.20459 kcal
- 1,000 kJ239.00574 kcal
- 1,200 kJ286.80688 kcal
- 1,500 kJ358.5086 kcal
- 2,000 kJ478.01147 kcal
- 2,500 kJ597.51434 kcal
- 3,000 kJ717.01721 kcal
- 4,000 kJ956.02294 kcal
- 5,000 kJ1,195.02868 kcal
- 8,368 kJ2,000 kcal
- 10,000 kJ2,390.05736 kcal
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Guide
How to convert kJ to calories, from a food label or a lab.
To convert kJ to calories, divide the kilojoules by 4.184. So 1,000 kJ is 239.01 kcal, 500 kJ is 119.5 kcal and 8,368 kJ is exactly 2,000 kcal. The result is in kilocalories, which is what a food label means by "calories". In small calories (cal) the same 1,000 kJ is 239,006 cal.
How to use the converter
- Type the energy in the Kilojoules (kJ) box. A pack that lists 1,000 kJ per serving gives 239.01 kcal.
- Read the big result in Kilocalories (kcal). The cards show small calories, joules and kilowatt-hours.
- Press the swap button (or the S key) to go from calories to kJ. 250 kcal becomes 1,046 kJ.
- Pick Decimals. A label rounds to whole numbers, so 0 is usually right. Use Copy result or Copy link to share the sum.
Which calorie does the answer mean
The word calorie names two units, 1,000 times apart. Labels and menus say "calories" or "Calories" and mean kilocalories (kcal). The small calorie (cal) is used mostly in chemistry. This page puts kcal in the answer because that is what people reading a food label want, and shows cal in a card for lab work. Both use the same energy: 4.184 J for a small calorie and 4,184 J for a kilocalorie.
The exact factor
NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.8 (checked 26 Oct 2026) marks the thermochemical kilocalorie as exactly 4,184 joules, which is 4.184 kJ. So 1 kJ is 1 ÷ 4.184 = 0.2390057 kcal, a number that never ends, and each answer is rounded in the last digit only. NIST also lists the International Table calorie at exactly 4.1868 J. It is 0.07 percent bigger, so a kcal of that kind is 4.1868 kJ. The two give nearly the same answer for food, 1,000 kJ is 238.9 against 239.0, but they are not the same number.
Worked examples
- A snack listed at 1,500 kJ. 1,500 ÷ 4.184 = 358.5 kcal.
- A drink at 200 kJ. 47.8 kcal.
- A day at 8,368 kJ. Exactly 2,000 kcal. The FDA uses 2,000 calories a day as a general guide for nutrition advice (read 26 Oct 2026).
- A meal at 3,000 kJ. 717 kcal.
- A lab result of 4.184 kJ. That is 1 kcal, or 1,000 cal.
Quick ways to do it without a tool
Dividing by 4 is the easy trick, but it is 4.6 percent high: 1,000 kJ becomes 250 against the true 239. Dividing by 4.2 is better and is only 0.4 percent low. To go from kcal to kJ, multiply by 4.2: 2,000 kcal gives 8,400 kJ against the exact 8,368 kJ, 0.38 percent high.
Labels that show both
Some labels list energy as, for example, "1,046 kJ / 250 kcal". The two numbers are the same energy, so you can check any label with this tool: 1,046 kJ ÷ 4.184 = 250 kcal. Where the two numbers differ a little, one of them has been rounded for printing.
| Kilojoules | Kilocalories | Small calories |
|---|---|---|
| 250 kJ | 59.8 kcal | 59,751 cal |
| 500 kJ | 119.5 kcal | 119,503 cal |
| 1,000 kJ | 239 kcal | 239,006 cal |
| 2,000 kJ | 478 kcal | 478,011 cal |
| 4,000 kJ | 956 kcal | 956,023 cal |
| 8,368 kJ | 2,000 kcal | 2,000,000 cal |
For a small calorie against a kilocalorie see cal to kcal. For bigger energy units see MJ to J. This is a unit page, not nutrition advice. The TDEE calculator estimates daily use.
Questions
Good to know.
How do I convert kJ to calories?
Divide the kilojoules by 4.184. The answer is in kilocalories, the calories of a food label. 2,092 kJ is 500 kcal.
How many calories are in 1 kJ?
1 kJ is 0.239006 kcal, or 239.01 cal small calories.
How many kJ are in 1 calorie?
A food calorie (kcal) is 4.184 kJ. A small calorie (cal) is 0.004184 kJ.
How many calories is 1,000 kJ?
239.01 kcal, or 239,006 cal small calories.
Is kJ bigger than a calorie?
A kilojoule is 1,000 joules. A kilocalorie is 4,184 joules, so one kcal is about 4.18 kJ. The kJ number is always larger for the same energy.
How many kJ is 2,000 calories?
2,000 kcal is 8,368 kJ. That is the same amount of energy as 8.368 MJ.
Are food calories kilocalories?
Yes. The calories on a food label are kilocalories. NIST lists the nutrition calorie as 4,184 J, the same as a thermochemical kilocalorie.
Why does one label show kJ and another kcal?
Both measure energy. Some countries print kJ, some kcal and some both. This tool turns one into the other.